This invention is a sales and business process that supports the new gifting system. The process is not limited to gifts and can support any sales transaction that requires location shift and/or time delay.
This addresses a significant problem. In what has become a very mobile society, people frequently live or work apart from family members, friends and loved ones. While bridal/baby showers, engagement parties, weddings, graduations, and other significant occasions marked by gift-giving occur in one city, often those with whom these experiences are shared reside in another. This necessitates either transporting gifts from one location to another, mailing them, exchanging/returning them or storing them—all of which are inconvenient in varying degrees. Additionally, large or cumbersome gifts pose problems for transport whether being given locally or at a distance.
The traditional sales process involves two parties: a buyer and a seller involved in a two-phase transaction: order and fulfillment. This applies to in-store sales as well as catalog and on-line shopping. In-store sales connect the two steps and fulfillment happens immediately after payment, while on-line and catalog buyers wait for a few days for delivery. Sometimes fulfillment is delayed because of inventory issues, need for customization, or other reasons, but in general, sellers start fulfillment as soon as the order is placed and try to complete it with minimum or no delay.
The following are characteristics of the current process as represented by FIG. 1. 1. The transaction involves two sides: a buyer and a seller. 2. All the required information for order and fulfillment is collected from the buyer at the time of order. 3. Fulfillment starts immediately after the order is placed; it is performed by the seller, and should be completed as soon as possible.
The current process works well most of the time, but with some limitations. One of those limitations occurs when the desired time and place for delivery are unknown or assumed incorrectly, or a product is back-ordered, or an item is too large to transport by an individual.
For example, in the case of wedding gifts, many couples might prefer to delay the delivery of gifts and presents until after the wedding and the honeymoon; especially if the wedding ceremony is not taking place in the area where they plan to live.
As another example, in home renovation and remodeling, many home improvement projects fall behind schedule. One may want to order new kitchen appliances in advance but keep the delivery time open until the kitchen is ready.
These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by various embodiments of the present invention.
It is, therefore, an outstanding object of some embodiments of the present invention to provide a gifting system that significantly reduces the logistical burdens of providing gifts to remote recipients or for those who would prefer to delay receipt of a gift.
Another object of some embodiments of this invention is to provide a gifting system that maintains all of the psychological benefits of conventional gifting procedures.
A further object of some embodiments of the present invention is to provide a gifting system that expands the variety of gifts that can be practically considered in connection with a particular gift-giving situation.
It is another object of some embodiments of the invention to provide a gifting system that simplifies and eases the retailers inventory challenges.
It is a further object of some embodiments of the invention to provide a gifting system that simplifies and reduces the security oriented delays and inconveniences associated with transportation.
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.